[TheOriginal]

What would make you choose one web company over another?
What do you look for in a company?
How much do you expect to pay?
How long would you be willing to wait to receive your order?

These are a few questions that I would like answered before I commit to opening an online business. I thank you for your support!

[mpnetwork]

In my experience most people who are willing to spend the money to develop a proper internet presence will do so with a company they a) know personally or b) have been referred to by a friend. Building a strong portfolio is a must.

Every client has different needs and will pay accordingly. Some people expect a complete layout for $50-100, others plan on spending $5000+. You have to determine your target market (keep in mind, the more money you are demanding, you need to be better established).

A note on the above paragraph - I have found that online people expect to pay less (can you design a 100 page web site for me with flash into, logo, and content for $200???), where offline with a personal relationship they are looking at quality over price.

Personally, I dont do design work online. However, it can take a long time to develop the relationships necessary to build a client base offline.

Timeframe varies. I have had to develop a site in a 1 wk turnaround, other times the client has several months to wait. Establish this with them in the beginning and be honest if you cannot deliver.

As for the poll, you may wish to consider a yearly or quarterly tune-up. Most web sites (static HTML) should not require it, especially if the client is not doing updates themselves. Don't sell people services they do not need, it will only hurt you in the long run.

Quote for your services up front, and unless the project varies significantly in terms of expectations (ie - the client decides they want more on the site) do not deviate from that quote. The client will feel a) you ripped them off or b) you did not know enough about the work to even price effectively.

[mulder999]

I would say No I wouldn't pay a monthly fee.

The reason being is because if a client wanted to make monthly changes or tune ups to their website then the person who develops the website to begin with should build in the ability for the user to make their own modifications.

Example: Build an interface for the client to be able to add or change items on the site, such as products, latest news etc through an admin section.

Just my two cents.

[mpnetwork]

Mulder

Usually there is a compromise.

If the client knows nothing (or very little) about web design, they are not coding directly (a script/software must do this for them).

The software which can allow the user to make their own modifications will occasionally a) produce outputs that are not visually appealing b) product code that is not correct (may cause errors) c) create broken links/images/navigation.

If this does happen, the client may not notice or will not know how to fix the problem. If the designer schedules time to go back and fix these problems, it still allows the client to make their own updates, but at the same time keeps the web site professional.

That said, most good Content Management Systems should not make so many mistakes that monthly tune-ups are required. I personally would not pay for monthly tune-ups either. Quarterly, Bi-Yearly, or Yearly (depending on the client) should be sufficient.

It the web site is static (just HTML, no content management), make the check-ups yearly. Use this as an opportunity to make suggestions as to future development, etc.

[Karen]

I think that those who are not able to create and maintain there own web site would be willing to pay someone else to do it for them.

At the same time, I belive large companies will also employ this service, since they usually have an image to uphold. This would also fall under the list of responsiblities that is delegated to someone else.

However, the small personal website owner would probably not be willing to pay as much as the large company. The amount of work for each different type of site would also be a factor.

Personal web sites (usually consisting of html and small amounts of various code) I think would only range >$50 per month. Whereas sites with lots of databases, scripting, etc could range several hundred dollars per month.

Karen